METALLICA's KIRK HAMMETT Says His Outlook On Meditation Is 'Extreme': 'I Believe That Meditation Is What We Are'

In a brand new interview with Marci Wiser of the 95.5 KLOS radio station, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett was asked what he needs at this point in his life to feel completely satisfied and fulfilled. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I meditate. And I meditate a lot. I meditate sometimes a couple of hours a day. I've been meditating for about 25 years now."

He continued: "My beliefs and my outlook on meditation is pretty extreme, I would say. I've come to believe that meditation is what we are, and when we're not meditating, that is, like, the dream. [Laughs] And I've come to the conclusion that meditation is pure consciousness, and everything is pure consciousness. And I also believe in unity of being, which means that we're all connected. But even more than that, we're all the same being. I believe that, and I believe that with my heart. It really dictates how I am day to day and how I treat people. Because if I believe that we're all connected and we are all one, then when I talk to you, I'm basically talking to myself. And when you look at me and into my eyes, you're seeing a version of yourself back. That's how deep I believe it is. And I also believe that consciousness, what people believe is our soul or spirit, it's energy, and energy is never destroyed; it just changes. And so I believe that consciousness is everything and eternal. And being in present and in the moment contains all the possibilities that are available in life."

Hammett added: "That's what I believe. And if people want to find out more, there's a name for what I believe, and it's call non-duality or idealism. It's a relatively new school of thinking that's based on teachings that go back two thousand years or so. But non-duality today says that you don't need to go into a cave for 30 years and meditate; you can do it, if you have the right guidance, in 10 minutes. And that is huge."

Kirk went on to say that he really loves talking about spirituality, adding that "I know my spirituality can be very, very challenging for people. And some people will just [go], like, 'Huh?' But if you're saying 'Huh?' and you're curious, it's worth looking into."

Asked if there are any good books that he recommends, Kirk said: "Oh, yes. 'The Direct Path' by Rupert Spira. The book changed my life."

METALLICA's eleventh studio album, "72 Seasons", was released on Friday (April 14) via METALLICA's own Blackened Recordings. Produced by Greg Fidelman with guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, it is METALLICA's first full-length collection of new material since 2016's "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct".

Hammett released his first solo EP, "Portals", in April 2022. The all-instrumental four-song effort was recorded in Los Angeles, Paris, and Oahu and was produced by Hammett, who drew inspiration for the songs from horror movies, classical music, and the work of Ennio Morricone, whose "The Ecstasy Of Gold" has been opening METALLICA live shows since 1983.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin